Collapsible tube



Sept. 27, 1955 DESKEY 2,718,983

COLLAPSIBLE TUBE Filed Dec. 5, 1949 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. flown/.0DES K5;

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Sept. 27, 1955 Filed Dec. 3, 1949 D. DESKEY COLLAPSIBLE TUBE 2Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. DQAMLQ DES/(EV,

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COLLAPSIBLE TUBE Donald Deskey, New York, N. Y., assignor to The Procter85f gamble Company, Cincinnati, Ohio, a corporation Application Decembera, 1949, Serial No. 130,885

7 Claims. Cl. 222-92 My invention relates to collapsible tubes fromwhich the contents may be dispensed by squeezing, the material issuingthrough a neck or extrusion orifice, ordinarily covered with a cap orclosure. Such tubes are usually formed of metal, but may be formed ofother substances.

nited States Patent 0 As is well known, such structures have hithertocomprised a cylindrical hollow body having a shouldered closure at oneend provided with the neck and extrusion orifice together with the cap.The tubes have been filled in the upside-down position, after which thecylindrical wall adjacent the open end is flattened or fish-tailed andfolded over on itself to form a closure, sometimes with the addition ofa clip to hold the folds.

A primary object of my invention is to provide improvements incontainers of this class.

More specifically, it is an object of my invention to provide a tube inwhich the walls furnish better display space for decoration, printing orinstructions.

It is an object of the invention to provide a tube which may be packagedin a paperboard carton or the like, where the carton has better displaysurfaces for decoration, printing or instructions.

It is an object of my invention to provide a tube which in onemodification will hold a greater quantity of contents in proportion tothe space it takes up in packaging, storage and shipment; and it is alsoan object of my invention to provide a tube which when packaged in anappropriate paperboard carton will provide a greater quantity ofcontents per unit of cross-sectional area of the paperboard carton.

It is an object of the invention to provide collapsible tubes of noveland highly attractive appearance.

It is an object of my invention to provide a tube which does not presentthe ordinary fat-fill problem or presents it in a very much diminisheddegree.

The contents of collapsible tubes are dispensed by squeezing the tube;and in the theoretically perfect use of such tubes, the squeezingpressure should be exerted progressively from the bottom toward the top,collapsing the walls into the plane of the original fish-tailed bottomclosure, and rolling this closure toward the top of the tube as thebottom portion is emptied of its contents. In actual practice, however,the proper mode of dispensing the contents is seldom followed. Mostusers tend to squeeze the tube at some point or points remote from thebottom closure, and frequently collapse the walls toward each other insuch a way that they approach a plane other than the plane of the bottomclosure. Again, and especially where the contents are relatively stifiand viscous, there is a tendency to grasp the body of the tube in thehand and squeeze powerfully without regard to the manner in which thewalls collapse. Thus the Walls of the tubeduring use become creased andrumpled so that, when it becomes necessary to roll up the bottom closurein order to continue to exert effective pressure in dispens ing thecontents, it is usually necessary to refold the walls. Yet again, wherethe ordinary fat-fill is employed, the

2,718,983 Patented Sept. 27, 1955 walls are initially creased adjacentthe bottom closure otherwise than along the lines on which they shouldfold when the bottom closure is rolled up. All of these causes tend toproduce severe crimping of the walls, frequently resulting in wallfailure and loss of contents. These causes also make for uneven rollingof the bottom, incomplete dispensing of the contents, and waste evenwhere the walls of the container do not fail.

It is an object of my invention to provide a collapsible tube of suchshape as substantially to enforce the squeezing of the tube and thecollapsing of its walls toward a plane which is a prolongation of thenormal plane of the bottom closure.

It is an object of my invention to provide a tube which may be moreperfectly emptied and in which the rolling up of the bottom closureelement as the contents are dispensed is facilitated and rendered moreaccurate.

It is an object of my invention to provide a collapsible tube which willbe devoid both initially and after a period of use of extraneous creasesand wrinkles in the tube walls which make for wall failure or interferewith complete emptying of the tube.

In one aspect of my invention it is my object to provide a tube withwalls pre-creased along the final fold lines which they should assume asthe tube is emptied.

It is also an object of my invention to provide, as hereinafter setforth, a tube having certain advantages for use with contents subject toshrinkage after filling.

These and other objects of my invention which will be set forthhereinafter or will be apparent to one skilled in the art upon readingthese specifications, I accomplish by that certain construction andarrangement of parts of which I shall now describe certain exemplaryembodiments. Reference is made to the accompanying drawing wherein:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of one form of collapsible tube made inaccordance with my invention.

Figure 2 is a side wall elevational view of the closed tube.

Figure 3 is an end wall elevational view thereof.

Figure 4 is a perspective view looking downwardly toward the top of thetube.

Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view of a tube body having a greater ratioof major to minor axes.

Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view with parallel orsubstantially'parallel side walls and rounded end walls.

Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view of a tube body in which the sidewalls are formed as a pair of opposed arcs meeting each other atrelatively small angles.

Figure 8 is a cross-sectional view of a tube of generally ellipticalshape but with end wall portions so configured as to provide preexistingfold lines.

Figure 9 is a side wall elevational view of a tube having across-section such as that shown in Figure 8.

Figure 10 is a cross-sectional view of the walls of another form of tubehaving the collapsing advantages to which one aspect of my invention isaddressed.

Briefly, in the practice of my invention, I attain its general objectsby providing a collapsible tube having a non-cylindrical cross-sectionalshape, i. e. a shape having a major transverse axis and a minortransverse axis where there is a substantial difference in length of theaxes, and by forming the bottom closure of the tube in substantialalignment with the plane of the major transverse axis. An ellipticalcross-sectional shape is an exemplary one falling within the scope of myinvention, a shape which can readily be distinguished from a trulycylindrical shape by the feel of the article in the users hand. In fact,the tube wall appears essentially divisible into broad face portions andnarrow face portions conveniently termed side walls and end walls; andthe tendency of the user is to exert pressure on the tube against thebroader face portions or side walls collapsing them toward each other.As the side wall portions arebroa'dened at the expense of the end wallportions, they become better adapted for the displaying'of printing,decoration or instructions.

In Figure I have shown in cross-section the wall 2 of a tube having avery much flattened elliptical shape in which the ratio of the minoraxis A to the major axis B' is nearly 1:4. In this instance it will beapparent that nearly the whole of the wall area may be referred to asside wall faces or portions, andthat theobserver-can see at one timevery nearly half-of the entire wall area of the tube.

In'Figures l to 4 inclusive I have illustrated a'tube having a ratio ofthe minor-axis to the major axis of approximately 1:2. The tube isgenerally indicated at 3. It has a shouldered top portion 4, preferablycurved as shown for appearance sake, adispensing neck 5, and a cap-6 forthe neck of any convenient or-decorative form. The .extraordinarybreadth of the side wall portions 7, in Figure 2,-as compared with theend wall portions 8 in Figure 3 will be immediately apparent. When theside wall portions 7 are collapsed toward each other or fish-tailed informing the bottom closure, they are distorted far less than would bethe case if such a closure were formed by fish-tailing the wall portionsof a cylindrical tube. In other words, the length C of the bottomclosure exceeds the major axis of the cross-section of the tube by anamount which is a much smaller percentage of the major axis than itcould be of the diameter of the tube if the walls were cylindrical inshape. Consequently in forming the bottom closure there is much lessdistortion of the tube walls than is encounteredin conventional tubes,and no necessity for creasing the walls along fold lines which aredivergent from those along which the tube should fold during collapsing.

Since collapsible tubes are Ordinarily packaged in paperboard cartons,it will now be apparent that a paperboard carton, such as that shown indotted lines at 9 in Figure 1, shaped to contain my tube, will be ofelongated, rectangular shape as distinguished from the squarecross-sectional shape required with ordinary cylindrical tubes. Thisprovides a carton with relatively broad side wall faces and relativelynarrow end wall faces, as will be apparent; and the side wall faces ofthe carton again offer a better opportunity for the displaying ofdecoration, printing or instructions.

While the area of an ellipse of a given perimeter is less than the areaof a circle having a circumference equal to the perimeter of theellipse, tubes of my construction can be made to fit paperboard cartonscross-sectionally substantially as well as the cylindrical tubes whichare conventional in the art, even considering the fact that paperboardcartons for cylindrical collapsible tubes are frequently made withlesser transverse dimensions than the length of the fish-tailed bottomof the tube. My elliptical tubes can have their bottom closures tiltedin the cartons, and in any event, the difference in the length of thebottom closure and the major axis of my tubes is less than thediiference between the diameter of the circle and the length of thebottom closure in the conventional tubes. Furthermore, while the ellipseis exemplary of one crosssectional shape of the tubes of my invenion, itis not the only shape which fulfills the objects set forth above. .Byway of example, reference is made to Figure 6, wherein there is shown incross-section the wall ofa tube having broad, fiat, planar andsubstantially parallel side wall portions 10 and 11 and relativelynarrow end wall portions 12 and 13 which are rounded in configuration.Such a tube, if placed in a relatively closely conforming paperboardcarton, will have a cross-sectional area more nearly conforming to thecross-sectional area of the carton than would be the case if the cartonwere square in crosssection and the tube walls were truly circular.

"In Figures 2 to-4 inclusive, 14 represents a clip on the bottomclosure. Clips are, of course, optional; but in the practice of myinvention it is possible to use a relatively broad clip or a relativelybroad rolled-over and crimped bottom closure which facilitates therolling of the tube and the progressive dispensing of its contents.

Yet other shapes are possible within the purview of my invention, andFigures 7 to 10 inclusive are illustrative of shapes whereby theadvantages above set forth are obtained together with an initialadvantage in that the'walls of the tube'are effectively pre-creasedalong lines which they should follow in collapsing and in the rolling upof the bottom of the tube. In Figure 7 a non-elliptical shape is shownin which the side wall portions 15 and 16 are arcuate and meet eachother, as at 17 and 18, at angles which are sharp enough to suggest anddefine lines of fold. The side portions 15 and 16 may be intersectingarcs of equal circles, but they may have other shapes and may includenon-arcuate portions.

In Figure 8 I have shown in cross-section a tube body 19 which, again,is elliptical or substantially so, but is characterized by end wallridges 20 and 21 which, again, suggest and define lines of fold. A sideelevation of a tube having the cross-section of Figure 8 is shown inFigure 9. Other cross-sectionsmay be employed, and it will nowbe evidentto the skilled worker in the art that the ridges, preformed creases, orscore lines 20 and 21 may be imparted to tubes of any cross-sectionalshape, but preferably to tubes havingsubstantially longer major thanminor axes, in which event the ridges 20 and 21 will be in line with themajor axis.

I have shown yet another shape in Figure 10 which is essentiallyhexagonal, with broad side wall portions 22 and 23 and end wall portions24 and 25 which are made up of angularly related. parts providing thecreases or fold lines 20a and'21a. Other shapes may be employed withoutdeparting from the'spirit'of my invention.

In. the ordinary cylindrical tubes of the conventional art, it ishighlydesirable to register the direction of the fishtail or bottomend'closure with the printing on the tubes. This can be done by manualpositioning of the tubes in the holders of the tube filling and closingmachine with attention to theprinting or sometimes automatically by theelectric eye. A further advantage of the tubes of my invention lies inthe fact that no manual positioning or provision of positioningequipment is required. Since the major and minor axes of my tubes arenot the same, the tubes will'fit into the holders on the tube fillingand closing machine in only one orientation, resulting in an automaticregistry'of the direction of the bottom closure.

Another advantage lies in the packaging of contents subjectto shrinkage,as for example in the packaging of a hot, liquid, detergent compositionwhich sets to a jellylike form on cooling accompanied by slightshrinkage. In my tubes a slight collapsing of the walls due'to shrinkageis not nearly'so apparent. Moreover, the open bottom ends of my tubesmay be distorted to a more nearly cylindrical shape-during or prior tofilling so that they will accept a greater quantity of contents withoutoverfilling, after which a re-shaping of the tube bottom end to thenon-cylindrical shape of the shoulder end will compensate fortheshrinkage prior to the closure of the bottom,-or even thereafter. I

My tubes may be formed by methods well known in the art, particularlywhen they are made from highly ductile metal and when thewall thicknessis ample. Metal tubes are ordinarily formed by an impact extrusionprocedure in which substantially flat slugs of ductile metal, such aslead, tin, aluminum, and'alloys of these metals, having upper and lowersurfaces shaped to correspond with the cross-sectional dimensions andshape of the finished tube and of the dies, are placed in the cavity ofa mold or female die and extruded therefrom by a plunger or male diewhich isbrought down under great pressure within the opening of themold, the clearance between the plunger and mold determining thethickness of the tube wall. If the wall thickness is reduced too much,it is found that the metal walls tend to part during extrusion at thepoints of greatest curvature and greatest distance from the mid-pointi.e. at points near the ends of the long axis of the impact extrusiondies. This difficulty may be overcome by providing slightly greaterclearance between the male die and the outer mold at these points. Witha wall thickness of of an inch over the greater part of the periphery,good extrusion has been obtained when the thickness is increased toabout 8 /2 to V1000 of an inch at and near the outer extremes of themajor axis.

Furthermore, my tubes are of distinctive, novel and attractiveappearance, lending themselves to the merchandising and display ofproducts, which is of particular value in connection with the broaderdisplay surfaces presented by my tubes and the cartons in which they arepackaged.

Having thus described my invention in certain exemplary embodiments,what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A collapsible tube for the one-hand dispensing of in crements ofplastic material introduced into the said tube through an open endthereof, said open end adapted to be pinched closed to form a flatfish-tail bottom closure, said tube comprising a collapsible tubularbody of substantially constant periphery throughout its length formed offlexible material and having afiixed to one end thereof a relativelyrigid shouldered outlet end member provided with a symmetrically locateddispensing orifice and a removable cap, said end member and said bodyhaving a shape which is elongated in cross-section with a major axis atleast twice as long as the minor axis, and with printed material on theouter portions of said body registered with respect to the major axis ofsaid cross-section, whereby the said tube may be oriented in a holdingelement of a filling machine, whereby by reason of such orientation thepinching of the open end of the tube to form a fish-tail bottom closureafter filling may be registered automatically with the major axis ofsaid cross-sectional shape and with said printed material, and wherebywhen said tube is filled and closed, a tactile shape is providedenforcing the exertion of collapsing pressure thereon substantially inline with the minor axis of said cross-sectional shape.

2. The structure claimed in claim 1 wherein the said tube is a seamlessextruded article of metal.

3. The structure claimed in claim 1 wherein the said tube is a seamlessextruded article of metal, and wherein the said cross-sectional shape issubstantially elliptical.

4. The collapsible tube claimed in claim 1 having relatively broad sidewall portions spaced from each other in the direction of the minor axis,and lying in substantially parallel planes.

5. The collapsible tube claimed in claim 1 having wall portions meetingeach other at acute angles so as to form crease lines upon which thewall-s of the tube are predisposed to bend, said crease lines beingsubstantially in line with the major axis of the tube.

6. A collapsible metal tube for one-hand operation in the dispensing ofa plastic material in increments, said tube having a relatively rigidshouldered end with a centrally disposed dispensing orifice and aremovable cap, and an extruded seamless tubular body of substantiallyconstant periphery throughout its length formed integrally with saidshouldered end and having opposite said shouldered end a fishtail bottomclosure, said shouldered end and tubular body both being characterizedby a crosssectional shape which is elongated in one transversedirection, having a minor axis and a major axis, the ratio of the minorto the major axis being not greater than 1:2, and the flat folded seamof said fish-tail bottom closure substantially coinciding with the planeof the major axis of the cross-sections of said end and body, whereby atactile shape is presented enforcing the exertion of collapsing pressureon said tube substantially in alignment with the minor axis of saidcross-sectional shape.

7. The collapsible tube claimed in claim 6 in which the cross-sectionalshape of the end member and tubular body is substantially elliptical.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNlTED STATES PATENTS614,410 Price Nov. 15, 1898 1,293,860 Mock Feb. 11, 1919 1,699,549Stanley Jan. 22, 1929 1,972,793 Prendergast Sept. 4, 1934 2,176,513Smith Oct. 17, 1939 2,341,835 Williams Feb. 5, 1944 2,401,784 ZaharaJune 11, 1946 2,552,870 Scherer May 15, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS 24,237Great Britain Oct. 28, 1915

1. A COLLAPSIBLE TUBE FOR THE ONE-HAND DISPENSING OF INCREMENTS OFPLASTIC MATERIAL INTORDUCED INTO THE SAID TUBE THROUGH AN OPEN ENDTHEREOF, SAID OPEN END ADAPTED TO BE PINCHED CLOSED TO FORM A FLATFISH-TAIL BOTTOM CLOSURE, SAID TUBE COMPRISING A COLLAPSIBLE TUBULARBODY OF SUBSTANTIALLY CONSTANT PERIPHERY THROUGHOUT ITS LENGTH FORMED OFFLEXIBLE MATERIAL AND HAVING AFFIXED TO ONE END THEREOF A RELATIVELYRIGID SHOULDERED OUTLET END MEMBER PROVIDED WITH A SYMMETRICALLY LOCATEDDISPENSING ORIFICE AND A REMOVABLE CAP, SAID END MEMBER AND SAID BODYHAVING A SHAPE WHICH IS ELONGATED IN CROSS-SECTION WITH A MAJOR AXIS ATLEAST TWICE AS LONG AS THE MINOR AXIS, AND WITH PRINTED MATERIAL ON THEOUTER PORTIONS OF SAID BODY REGISTERED WITH RESPECT TO THE MAJOR AXIS OFSAID CROSS-SECTION, WHEREBY THE SAID TUBE MAY BE ORIENTED IN A HOLDINGELEMENT OF A FILLING MACHINE, WHEREBY BY REASON OF SUCH ORIENTATION THEPINCHING OF THE OPEN END OF THE TUBE TO FORM A FISH-TAIL BOTTOM CLOSUREAFTER FILLING MAY BE REGISTERED AUTOMATICALLY WITH THE MAJOR AXIS OFSAID CROSS-SECTIONAL SHAPE AND WITH SAID PRINTED MATERIAL, AND WHEREBYWHEN SAID TUBE IS FILLED AND CLOSED, A TACTILE SHAPE IS PROVIDEDENFORCING THE EXERTION OF COLLAPSING PRESSURE THEREON SUBSTANTIALLY INLINE WITH THE MINOR AXIS OF SAID CROSS-SECTIONAL SHAPE.